A Hit J.J. Abrams Sci-Fi Series Was Designed To Avoid Becoming Another Lost

Nothing on TV toyed with the minds of viewers quite like "Lost." But for one of his next shows, "Fringe," co-creator J.J. Abrams wanted to make sure its audience had less homework to do than "Lost" fans. 

Following hits like "Felicity" and "Alias," "Lost" catapulted Abrams' career and made him one of the most sought-after creative minds in television. But as popular as "Lost" was, it had a fatal flaw: The storylines were so interconnected that the ABC flagship gained a reputation for confusing and alienating its viewers. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Abrams said he wanted "Fringe" to be different. "Fringe is in many ways an experiment for us," he explained. "We believe it has an overall story, and we know its end game... you don't have to watch Episodes 1, 2 and 3 to watch Episode 4... the show doesn't require the sort of insane, absolute dedication to other series."

In an interview with TV Guide, J.J. Abrams said from the beginning there were comparisons between the two shows. "When it first came out, especially because of [the airplane story] in the pilot, there was a lot of talk that the show was trying to be a 'Lost' rip-off. Luckily, we got to be on the air long enough to prove that it was its own animal."

For the first two seasons, "Fringe" delivered groundbreaking sci-fi episodes that only had a general overarching storyline that fans needed to follow. As the show progressed, however, the universe that writers had built became the focal point. In the same TV Guide interview, producer Bryan Burk said the show took on a life of its own. "When you watch early episodes, you can see where we tried to have self-contained episodes, but the nature of what the show is and what it wanted to be... was a serialized show. The show often tells you what it wants to be, and this was one of those cases."

While "Fringe" earned praise within the science fiction community, winning multiple Saturn Awards, it ultimately suffered the same fate as "Lost." Ratings were strong early on, but later seasons saw a diminished yet loyal fan base that stuck it out until the end. Unlike "Lost," however, the "Fringe" series finale was an unqualified hit with fans and critics, becoming its top-rated episode.